Nokia Corp. released a new, low-priced wireless e-mail product that will work with almost any new mobile phone. The offering sets Nokia squarely in the wireless enterprise marketplace and pits the company directly against players like Research In Motion Ltd., Good Technology Inc., Visto Corp., Seven, Intellisync Corp. and others.
“This brings mobile e-mail to the corporate masses,” explained Dave Grannan, general manager of Nokia’s e-mail group. “We really want all of the workforce mobilized.”
The Nokia Business Center includes a Java client for phones and a server that can be installed behind a company’s firewall. Nokia said it also will offer a hosted version of the offering.
The Java software comes in two versions-a free rendition that supports e-mail sending and receiving and a “professional” version that offers access to e-mail, calendar and contacts. Nokia’s Grannan said the company’s Business Center initially will support Java phones made by Nokia, but also would be able to support phones from rival suppliers like Motorola Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
The server costs about $2,200 for 400 users, and the professional version of the Java software costs around $67 per phone.
When it is released later this year, the Business Center will support Microsoft Corp.’s Exchange program. Nokia will add support for IBM Corp.’s Domino program in the first quarter of next year and later will add support for other e-mail programs.
Interestingly, Nokia plans to sell its new wireless e-mail offering on a white-label basis, primarily through wireless carriers and information-technology vendors. Good recently engaged in a similar sales strategy, pulling back from its direct sales efforts. Grannan said the Nokia Business Center will be available to resellers at about 40 percent off its street price of $2,200.
Grannan said there are 650 million corporate e-mail inboxes, but only around 10 million that include wireless components. He said the company’s new offering is an attempt to break open the rest of the wireless e-mail market. Grannen predicted that Nokia will score between 20 percent and 30 percent of the wireless e-mail market during the next three years.
Nokia’s strategy puts it squarely in the middle of the wireless e-mail market. RIM with its BlackBerry offering is the current market leader with more than 3 million subscribers. Both RIM and Good have positioned their offerings as platforms that can support e-mail, as well as other wireless enterprise applications. Other market players, like Seven and Visto, sell their wares on a hosted basis through wireless carriers and other vendors.
